Englisch Analysis 14.02.
24
House on Fire
In Greta Thunbergs speech „House on fire“, held on January 25 in the year 2019 in Switzerland,
Greta is illustrating the importance of the climate Change. In the beginning speech, Greta states that
we as a society need to solve the climate change, and demands political action by those responsible.
She mentions that we have to acknowledge that we´ve failed, but that there is still time to turn
things around.
The speech consists of many arguments that undermine the necessity of change. At the beginning,
Greta utilizes the metaphor „Our house is on fire“ (ll. 1) to illustrate the severity of our current
situation. The house is our earth, and by stating it is (not literally) on fire, this metaphore creates a
sense of uneasyness. We do not want that our earth is on fire, and therefore this metaphor could also
be interpreted as a warning. The register is informal, and the style and tone of the speech rather
precise and aggressive.
In the second half of the speech, Greta resorts to an antithesis as a stylistic device to add weight to
her point and to make clear, that we only have two options. She says „Either we prevent 1.5 degree
of warming or we dont. Either we avoid setting off that irreversible chain reaction beyond human
control or we dont. Either we choose to go on as a civilisation or we dont“ (ll. 21-23). The effect of
this is that placing together the two contrasting main ideas makes it easier for the listener to
comprehend complex ideas and helps to create rythm in the speech. Additionally, the antithesis
draws attention to the main point and emphasizes the fact that there is no grey areas when it comes
to climate change.
The third half of the speech consists of a repetition. The activist claims „everyone is talking about
money. It seems that money and growth are our only main concerns“ (ll.31-32). By repeating twice
that money is our main concern, Greta highlights the importance of Money in our current society. It
also helps the audience remembering the reason as to why exactly we do not act accordingly in the
climate change- it would cost us loads of money and growth.
Greta further states „The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your moral duty. The bigger your
platform, the bigger your responsibility“(ll.42-43). The stylistic device she is using in the fourth
half of the speech in is an anaphora. By putting the same words in the beginning of each sentence,
Greta creates order and puts emphasis on what she is saying. She outlines that the bigger your
influence on the climate change is, the more it is your responsibility to act. By structuring your
speech this way, the most important aspects of your speech are more memorable to the audience,
and it makes it easier to follow.
Moreover, Greta utilizes another repetition, stating „ I want you to act as if the house is on fire.
Because it is“ (ll.45-47). By repeating an already existing metaphor at the very end of the speech,
the activist further adds weight to her message. This way, she brings us back to what she has said
before, and urges us to act. This makes her message much more powerful, and it appeals to the
listeners emotion.
Overall, the speech is very well structured. It inherits information as well as emotional appeal. It
can definitley be said that Greta Thunberg is a striving climate activist, who presents reasonable
arguments for the action in climate change in a way that is easy to understand. All in all, the speech
evokes emotions in the audience, and therefore, it can definitley convince the listeners. The speech
shows how important it is to act in climate change, and illustrates that if we do not act, it might be
too late in a couple of years.
